Of all the "it" menswear brands at the moment, which will survive?

[blank]

Presently, it seems as if we're drowning in popular menswear brands. Band of Outsiders, Loden Dager, Duckie Brown, Obedient Sons, Engineered Garments, Rag & Bone, Steven Alan, J. Lindeberg, Acne, Filippa K, Tim Hamilton, Michael Bastian, Adam Kimmel, Robert Geller, Patrick Ervell, Shipley & Halmos. I feel like I could add 15 more labels to this list if I snooped around the blogs and fora. As the world shrinks, designer fashion becomes infinitely more attainable shopping online, and certainly more understandable and welcoming. You don't have to pick up GQ to get into it anymore, you don't have to spend money to spend more money. Just ask the Sartorialist.

Some of these brands will resonate for years, achieving sustainability with brands like Paul Smith, A.P.C., John Varvatos -- labels that become renowned, that move beyond their few years in the spotlight. But for every Helmut Lang that lasts for decades, there's a dozen Trovata's that pique your interest, grab some coverage and hype, land at Barney's, and then fizzle.

So which of our current obsession brands will persevere, and which will fade away?

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by blank

Presently, it seems as if we're drowning in popular menswear brands. Band of Outsiders, Loden Dager, Duckie Brown, Obedient Sons, Engineered Garments, Rag & Bone, Steven Alan, J. Lindeberg, Acne, Filippa K, Tim Hamilton, Michael Bastian, Adam Kimmel, Robert Geller, Patrick Ervell, Shipley & Halmos. I feel like I could add 15 more labels to this list if I snooped around the blogs and fora. As the world shrinks, designer fashion becomes infinitely more attainable shopping online, and certainly more understandable and welcoming. You don't have to pick up GQ to get into it anymore, you don't have to spend money to spend more money. Just ask the Sartorialist.

Some of these brands will resonate for years, achieving sustainability with brands like Paul Smith, A.P.C., John Varvatos -- labels that become renowned, that move beyond their few years in the spotlight. But for every Helmut Lang that lasts for decades, there's a dozen Trovata's that pique your interest, grab some coverage and hype, land at Barney's, and then fizzle.

So which of our current obsession brands will persevere, and which will fade away?

I'd say that the brands that have either grown with a slow burn and those that continue to provide high quality basics will be the ones who stay. So, in that vein, I'd put my money on Engineered Garments and Rag&Bone, Acne, and Fillipa K, and perhaps Michael Bastian, of the brands mentioned.

 

[rach2jlc]

Sadly, Helmut Lang isn't really there anymore. They had about 10 years of making me VERY happy... from 1995-2005 or so, with waning interest at the end...

The new "Contemporary Brand" HL X Theory-esque stuff is just icky.

In any case, fashion is so fickle and each season so critical that it is really hard to say what will last. One could have five outstanding seasons and then three really terrible ones and be off the radar. It's a tough call... though I predict most of the "premium denim' brands will go and leave just a few very who are actually excellent designers.

 

[Davidko19]

Ed Hardy, brah.

 

[Get Smart]

I've had this conversation as well....it's hard to say since some brands that dont seem to do well actually sell very well, and others you think are doing well are always in the red and on the verge of shutting down

Band of Outsiders isnt going anywhere, and I'm surprised they havent opened a store but that's probably smart of them since a B&M in a high retail area would be a money pit....and they're already in stores in those high rent areas so why not just let someone else handle having a storefront

Problem is all these brands sort of do the same thing for the same price and for store buyers it must be kinda hard to figure out what to sell since everyone has the same labels

I think the labels that get good international distro will continue to do well. The ones that rely on domestic sales will be the first to fold (BoO excluded)

 

[Nouveau Pauvre]

I would very much like to see Robert Geller last, as he is a very dynamic, yet wearable designer.

I feel a lot of the "Edgy Americana" brands (BoO, Tim Hamilton, Shipley and Halmos) will not last; the market is simply saturated. (edit: not saying those specific brands won't necessarily last, but a lot of brands in that vein)

I think some of the more "goth ninja" brands are set up to do very well, especially as streetwear kids grow up and start looking for something other then Nike and Supreme.

Get Smart had it right with international distro - the weak dollar and American economy will make it very tough for brands relying on domestic sales - it seems that a lot of the luxury brands like LVMH are realizing this with all the aggressive Asian expansion.

 

[sho'nuff]

i actually think Marc Jacobs is a solid brand and even their lower line Marc by Marc Jacobs. compared to their brand peers like Armani, etc, they use, imo, higher quality fabrics and construction and designs are nice and when they go push the envelope it still is within the sense of reason but creativity

 

[blank]

I'd say that the brands that have either grown with a slow burn and those that continue to provide high quality basics will be the ones who stay.

it's hard to say since some brands that dont seem to do well actually sell very well, and others you think are doing well are always in the red and on the verge of shutting down

How do you learn about labels' burn rates and sales? Smaller labels aren't required to disclose this information, are they?

Sadly, Helmut Lang isn't really there anymore. They had about 10 years of making me VERY happy... from 1995-2005 or so, with waning interest at the end...

If any of the brands on my list issued well-received designs for ~10 years, it would qualify them as immensely successful.

i actually think Marc Jacobs is a solid brand and even their lower line Marc by Marc Jacobs.

I left Marc Jacobs off because I think, given his critical and mainstream appeal, and his approach to both common and high-fashion, he's gone beyond that upper-middle class level and is approaching something bigger. He might be the only designer in our group that could achieve similar status to Yves Saint Laurent.

 

[constant struggle]

I think brands that you see massive amounts of items for sale at end of season isn't going to cut it...
Also the amount of robert geller "d!cksuckin" going on is ridiculous
Am I the only one who just thought S/S 08 was waay better than F/W 08 and S/S 09

 

[Nouveau Pauvre]

Originally Posted by sho'nuff

i actually think Marc Jacobs is a solid brand and even their lower line Marc by Marc Jacobs. compared to their brand peers like Armani, etc, they use, imo, higher quality fabrics and construction and designs are nice and when they go push the envelope it still is within the sense of reason but creativity

I agree that Marc Jacobs will have a lot of staying power. His womens collections have always impressed me more then the mens and I don't often see must-buy pieces, but there is rarely a Marc Jacobs item that I would not wear.

I am also very impressed with the corporate structure: the various diffusion lines, the advertising and brand placement, plus being part of LVMH can't hurt.

I am surprised that MJ doesn't get more love on these fora.

 

[LA Guy]

Originally Posted by constant struggle

I think brands that you see massive amounts of items for sale at end of season isn't going to cut it...
Also the amount of robert geller "d!cksuckin" going on is ridiculous
Am I the only one who just thought S/S 08 was waay better than F/W 08 and S/S 09

That depends on the fraction the "massive amounts" at the end actually represent. Some brands just do ridiculous volume. I think that Get Smart is right though. Forum mastabatory habits aside, a lot of it will depend on the strength of the organization behind the brand, and the ability to translate overseas.

 

[constant struggle]

well massive mounts as a % of total...

 

[jet]

I'd like to see tim hamilton, michael bastian, loden dager and a bunch of other worthless new york designers go except geller and ervell.

 

[constant struggle]

long live ervell!
tim hamilton needs to lower his pricing badly

 

[shoreman1782]

^On that note, I think a lot of these lines/brands have begun to price themselves out of the non-jet market.

Especially since the wide market for super-premium men's sportswear may not last.

Name a menswear line other than RL that has had consistent 2+ decade staying power WITHOUT also being a major player in womenswear.